SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras (AP) — After stalling over Honduras, Tropical Storm Sara began moving at a slightly faster pace on Saturday, inundating the northern coast of the Central American nation. The downpour has caused rivers to swell, leaving some residents trapped in their homes.
Overnight rainfall continued into Saturday in San Pedro Sula, where a river crossing was washed away, completely isolating an entire community. The Miami-based National Hurricane Center warned that the region could experience perilous flash flooding and mudslides throughout the weekend.
The storm made landfall late Thursday, approximately 105 miles (165 kilometers) west-northwest of Cabo Gracias a Dios, located on the border between Honduras and Nicaragua. Forecasters expect the storm to maintain a “somewhat faster motion west-northwestward” as it moves into the Gulf of Honduras, eventually making landfall in Belize.
Following its approach in Belize, Sara is expected to shift direction toward Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, but meteorologists believe it will likely not re-enter the Gulf after crossing the Yucatan.
Residents drenched by the rain were anxious on Saturday, recalling the devastating hurricane season of November 2020, marked by two powerful storms that displaced hundreds of thousands and caused significant destruction in the region.
Standing on a riverbank, Carlos Canelas, 48, expressed concern for his elderly mother, who chose to ignore official evacuation orders in the Flor de Cuba neighborhood of San Pedro Sula. By Saturday morning, the 77-year-old woman was cut off from the city due to the collapsed river crossing and remained home with her 35-year-old son who has special needs.
“I didn’t go to work because of this situation, but there’s not much I can do,” he said. “I could swim across the river, but how do I get my mother to safety?”
Despite the storm’s presence, a CONCACAF Nations League soccer match proceeded as scheduled on Friday in San Pedro Sula, where Mexico faced off against Honduras and lost 2-0 amid heavy rainfall.
During the tragic November 2020 storms, Eta and Iota swept through Honduras after making landfall in Nicaragua as powerful Category 4 hurricanes. Northern Honduras faced the brunt of these storms, with torrential rains leading to devastating floods that forced many to evacuate, including people who received as much as 30 inches (76 cm) of rainfall along the northern coast.
The National Hurricane Center reported on Saturday that storm surge might elevate water levels along Honduras’ northern coast by as much as 3 feet (1 meter) above normal. “Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves,” the center warned. “A storm surge could push water levels up by 1 to 3 feet above ground level in areas north of where Sara makes landfall in Belize.”
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Associated Press writer Regina Garcia Cano contributed to this report from Mexico City.
